7 Video Ideas for Businesses to Try

Most small businesses know that they should be using video to market their business. Countless studies available all over the web indicate the (continued) rapid rise in video to communicate online. It is, in my opinion, the best way to actually capture someone’s attention on social media.

But most businesses get stuck trying to come up with what to actually make a video about when the time comes.

Whether you post these videos to Instagram (via Story, IGTV, or your regular feed), Facebook, Youtube, or beyond: they all have the opportunity to build a stronger connection with your customers and boost business.

Before you get to my ideas, a disclaimer:

Video does not have to be insanely professional for it to benefit your business.

It is a misconception that you need to exclusively have highly-polished, perfect video in order to help you. In many cases, of course, this is going to make a big difference. When you can’t afford to risk something not turning out, it’s best to bring in a professional.

But I firmly believe that even if you just start my pointing your phone’s camera at something and hitting record, magical things are going to happen. YOU ARE GOING TO BE SHOCKED (in the best way).

Anyways, now that I have hopefully convinced you, here are 7 new ideas you can take + implement to start marketing your business better immediately.

1. Why you do what you do

It’s always a great idea to start any sort of social content with an introductory video where you introduce yourself and give a brief background on who you are and what you do.

Most people that follow you will know bits and pieces of your story, but rarely all the details. Fix that with a short video explaining not only what led you into starting your business, but (more importantly) why you choose to do it everyday.

2. Tour of your workspace or workplace

You might find it boring, but to your audience, it’s probably really interesting.

Give a quick video tour of the place you spend most of your time operating your business. Whether it’s a home office, the front and back of your restaurant, or a job site, you would be surprised how much people will enjoy getting to actually see the stuff they never usually see.

People are naturally curious. Feed into that by showing them your space.

3. Product detail

It’s important not to get too sales-y when doing this, but if you walk the fine line, you can pull it off.

Take an educational approach to showing your customers the benefits of one of your products (or services) and why it might make their lives better. You can either talk about one of your most popular products or take the chance to discuss a lesser-known one. The choice is yours.

Again - don’t overdo it by bashing the competition or feeling too fake. People see right through that. But if you’re a chill, honest person just showing them something they might now know, they’ll stick around and watch more of the video.

4. Question & Answer

Ask customers to submit questions that you’ll then answer later in a video. Not only do you get their attention by asking them to interact with you (by submitting a question), you show confidence that you’re open to discussing what’s on their mind, and you create anticipation that you might answer their question.

If no one submits questions, just go through your customer interactions to see what some of the most popular stumbling-blocks or misconceptions are when people hire you or buy your product. Answer those instead and the outcome is still just as solid.

5. A do-it-yourself for your customers

It might seem counterintuitive to teach people how to do the thing you want them to hire you for, but it’s important to remember, you’re just giving them something very, very small. If you’re a restaurant, for example, you’re teaching them about how not to burn food. You’re not giving them all the recipes to your menu items.

Demonstrating the ability to teach builds the perception you’re an expert, and that you have knowledge to share. What people think of you is so, so, so important. Improve it by teaching them how to do something.

Make sure your video isn’t too fluffy and simple, but also not too technical that it flies over people’s heads. Test it with a friend first if you need to.

6. A “day in the life” vlog

If you’re not familiar with vlogs, they’re “video blogs” that showcase peoples lives. It’s often less polished, and much more candid. It’s usually only indirectly related to your job, but more about you as a person.

Showing off what you do before, during, and after work can really interest people. It shows you’re a human, and it lets them build a connect with you as a person, not just as a business. Inadvertently, this makes them more likely to choose your business when the need for it arises.

It’s not for everyone, and you kind of need to have (at least somewhat of) an interesting-enough life to keep people’s attention the whole way through. But again: we’re aiming for a small sample, not a documentary.

7. Something new you’ve learned

Tell your audience about something new you’ve learned in the past few weeks (not years; keep it recent). Whether that’s a shift in the market, the spike in sales of a product, something interesting going on in your industry, a new skill or product you’ve just acquired; you name it.

Highlight a way you are consciously improving yourself and your business to show your customers that you are constantly growing. We identify stagnancy with decay, and you never want people to think your business is failing (even if it is). No one wants to buy from the person who might not be around next year. So, instead, build confidence in your brand by showcasing what’s new.

In the end:

At the end of the day, you can’t go wrong with any of these ideas. If one of these topic suggestions has sparked a new thought, chase after it! Trust your gut.

Your audience will respond to knowing more about you, whatever that looks like.

Video is a phenomenal medium to get it there. As a videographer, I’ve seen it happen firsthand countless times with many of my clients. The results are staggering.

Don’t be shy. Give it a go today! What’s the worst that could happen?